The City of Los Angeles

The City of Los Angeles was just one train in the Union Pacific’s premier fleet of passenger trains. The railroad hosted an entire array of plush City trains including the City of Portland, City of Denver, City of Salina (the original M-10000), City of St. Louis, City of San Francisco, and City of Las Vegas. The City of L.A. proved to be one of the West's most popular streamliners, even though it took two railroads for the train to
complete its transcontinental journey between Chicago and Los Angeles.
The train was one of the first to follow the Union Pacific's successful
M-10000 streamliner and featured incredible onboard accommodations. Today, the City fleet can still be witnessed, in a manner of speaking, as the UP’s official business train is not only decorated in the Cities’ classic livery but also includes the original equipment, right down to the two E9As and E9Bs that power it!

The Union Pacific Railroad (UP), the largest and one of the most
powerful railroads in the country, has been with us since 1862. The company is far older than any other American Class I
railroad today with the Kansas City Southern in a nearby second. In that time UP has become not only one of the most
highly respected institutions in the nation but also has seen nearly
every major railroading event in our country’s history, and accordingly
has a very long and storied history. The Union Pacific’s City fleet is credited with being the first lightweight streamlined passenger train to operate in the United States. In 1934 the City of Salina, the first in the fleet, debuted as a three-car
lightweight trainset that the Electro-Motive Corporation named the
M-10000. The Union Pacific was so impressed with the train, and the
response it received from the public, that it purchased seven more sets
and the City fleet was born!

The City of Los Angeles hit the rails in early May 1936,
originally as the semi-articulated M-10002, and was soon upgraded in the
early 1940s following a large order of streamlined equipment from
Pullman-Standard and American Car & Foundry, which included some 145 cars
in all (this also included the equipment operated by the Chicago &
North Western). With the streamliner craze just being to take hold and
railroads scrambling to upgrade their fleets the Union Pacific was one
of the lucky few to field a wide array of streamlined trains before war
restrictions forbid the use of steel and aluminum for the private
sector. When the City of L.A. was launched in late 1937 it
originally featured streamlined diesel locomotives manufactured by the
Electro-Motive Corporation (predecessor to GM's Electro-Motive Division)
known as E2As with booster units (E2Bs).

The railroad purchased six in
total with three used for the City of L.A., E2A #LA-1 and E2Bs #LA2-LA3 (the other three were used for the City of San Francisco). Just prior to the start of World War II both the City of L.A. and City of S.F.
were upgraded with EMC E6As and E6Bs. Similar to the earlier E2 model
the E6s featured a more slanted nose and increased horsepower. The original City of L.A. consist included 14 cars
featuring a club-dormitory, sleepers, coaches, an observation-lounge,
and perhaps the train's marquee piece an articulated diner-coffee shop
(the diner section could seat 64). The City of L.A. was also the first streamliner to feature Pullman's new round-end observation, adding to the train's sleek look.

While the City of L.A. boasted a route connecting Los Angeles with the nation’s rail hub in Chicago it needed
help to stretch that far east. While the Union Pacific's carried the
during the central portion of the trip it relied on the Chicago &
North Western between Chicago and Omaha, for the first twenty years or
so of the train’s existence. This setup lasted until 1955 when the UP,
dissatisfied with the services C&NW was providing handed the train
over to C&NW rival Milwaukee Road, a partnership that would last
until the train’s end. To keep the City of Los Angeles' livery
consistent during both the Milwaukee Road's and C&NW's tenures
operating the their locomotives were similarly painted in UP Armour
Yellow and gray. It was also during the 1950s that the City fleet received upgraded, lightweight equipment and what UP termed “Domeliners,” which were dome cars
set up as diners, coaches, and even lounges.

The new equipment, as the
original streamliners that had debuted in the mid-1930s, was also
adorned in a striking livery of Armour Yellow and light gray with red
trim, a paint scheme still in use today on the Union Pacific. Overall
the railroad purchased some 140 new cars
including dome lounge-observations and dome diners. For power the
railroad upgraded to EMD E8s and E9s, the final two E series models ever
built. The Domeliners proved to be highly successful for UP and along
with its regal onboard services such as shower-baths and barber shops
it is no wonder that so many famous Hollywood celebrities chose City
trains for their travels. Also, the Union Pacific was one of just a
handful of railroads that continued to see strong ridership through the
1950s which no doubt was due to both its posh accommodations and fast transit times. For more reading and history about the train please click here.

(The below City Of Los Angeles timetable is dated effective June of 1956. Note that by this date UP had switched to the Milwaukee Road as its Chicago connection.)

Read Down Time/Leave (Train #103/Milwaukee Road)

Milepost

Location

Read Up
Time/Arrive (Train #104/Milwaukee Road)

6:45 PM (Dp)

0.0

Chicago, IL (Union Station) (CT)

11:00 AM (Ar)

8:53 PM (Ar)

138

Savannah, IL

8:32 AM (Dp)

8:59 PM (Dp)

138

Savannah, IL

8:25 AM (Ar)

10:25 PM

227

Marion, IA

7:04 AM

12:20 AM (Ar)

362

Perry, IA

4:56 AM (Dp)

12:25 AM (Dp)

362

Perry, IA

4:51 AM (Ar)

3:00 AM (Ar)

487

Omaha, NE

2:45 AM (Dp)

Time/Leave (Train #103/Union Pacific)

Milepost

Location

Time/Arrive (Train #104/Union Pacific)

3:10 AM (Dp)

487

Omaha, NE

2:30 AM (Ar)

5:09 AM (Ar)

632

Grand Island, NE

12:20 AM (Dp)

5:10 AM (Dp)

632

Grand Island, NE

12:19 AM (Ar)

6:55 AM (Ar)

769

North Platte, NE (CT)

10:28 PM (Dp)

6:00 AM (Dp)

769

North Platte, NE (MT)

9:23 PM (Ar)

7:43 AM (Ar)

893

Sidney, NE

7:42 PM (Dp)

7:44 AM (Dp)

893

Sidney, NE

7:41 PM (Ar)

9:30 AM (Ar)

995

Cheyenne, WY

6:20 PM (Dp)

9:40 AM (Dp)

995

Cheyenne, WY

6:10 PM (Ar)

11:00 AM (Ar)

1051

Laramie, WY

4:50 PM (Dp)

11:01 AM (Dp)

1051

Laramie, WY

4:49 PM (Ar)

12:55 PM (Ar)

1168

Rawlins, WY

2:55 PM (Dp)

12:56 PM (Dp)

1168

Rawlins, WY

2:54 PM (Ar)

3:15 PM (Ar)

1302

Green River, WY

12:35 PM (Dp)

3:25 PM (Dp)

1302

Green River, WY

12:25 PM (Ar)

5:06 PM

1402

Evanston, WY

10:44 AM

6:45 PM (Ar)

1478

Ogden, UT

9:10 AM (Dp)

6:55 PM (Dp)

1478

Ogden, UT

9:00 AM (Ar)

7:40 PM (Ar)

1514

Salt Lake City, UT

8:15 AM (Dp)

7:50 PM (Dp)

1514

Salt Lake City, UT

8:05 AM (Ar)

10:51 PM (Ar)

1721

Milford, UT (MT)

4:58 AM (Dp)

10:54 PM (Dp)

1721

Milford, UT (MT)

4:55 AM (Ar)

2:30 AM (Ar)

1964

Las Vegas, NV (PT)

11:20 AM (Dp)

2:40 AM (Dp)

1964

Las Vegas, NV (PT)

11:10 AM (Ar)

7:45 AM (Ar)

2230

San Bernardino, CA

6:08 PM (Dp)

7:50 AM (Dp)

2230

San Bernardino, CA

6:03 PM (Ar)

8:10 AM

2240

Riverside, CA

5:43 PM

9:10 AM

2292

East Los Angeles, CA

4:50 PM

9:30 AM (Ar)

2298

Los Angeles, CA (Union Passenger Terminal) (PT)

4:30 PM (Dp)

Ridership was so high during the 1950s that the railroad still
operated two westbounds (Trains #103 and #107) and eastbounds (Trains
#104 and #108) daily. During this time the UP and C&NW/Milwaukee
Road could make the run between Chicago and Los Angeles in about 40
hours carrying a very fast average train speed of nearly 57 mph. There
was also through sleeper service available on both the Pennsylvania and
New York Central railroads to New York City via Chicago. Through the end the City of Los Angeles, along with her sister City
trains, remained a top-notch, all matching consist operation by Union
Pacific. While service remained at a high level this, however, did not
secure the Los Angeles’ or other City trains’ futures. By the late 1960s the City of L.A. was down to just an eastbound and westbound run. By 1971 with the startup of Amtrak the entire City fleet was discontinued.

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